Iftar politics is being played out big time in UP this year.
Iftar politics is being played out big time in UP this year. With elections just a few months away, all major political parties are hosting lavish iftar parties and are also bending backwards to ensure the presence of top Muslim clerics at these events.
The Muslim presence at iftar parties hosted by political leaders is said to be a barometer of the party’s popularity among Muslims though, on occasions more than one, the “barometer” has failed to give the correct reading. BSP president Mayawati is never known to host iftar parties and sources blame it on her phobia of crowds, but her trusted aide Naseemuddin Siddiqui hosted an iftar party in a school compound over the weekend and the large crowds that gathered at the event left BSP baiters shocked. Clerics of various sects attended the event where entry was strictly by invitation. The SP, which is making desperate efforts to retain its Muslim vote base, is planning to host two iftar parties — one by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and the other by SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav. The iftar by the Samajwadi Party is usually hosted in the last week of Ramzan and is known for its sumptuous spread.
Thousands attend the Samajwadi iftar party — with or without invitation — and there is also ample food for the guests.
According to Samajwadi sources, efforts are on to ensure maximum Muslim presence at the iftar party this year since that would send a clear message that the community is not upset with the ruling party, as is being reported by the media.
